Want to own a Porsche that belonged to crook who owned Good Fellas Grocery? How about a pickup used to smuggle drugs?

These are just some of the toys with shady pasts that could be yours if you make the winning bid at a special government auction that begins Thursday morning in Houston.

The U.S. Marshal Service is having the booty auctioned off to the highest bidders as it turns the proceeds from crimes into money to reimburse victims and give police agencies more money for everything from squad cars to guns.

The Houston auction is just one of several that take place throughout the United States as part of a program that sent $1.5 billion to crime victims in 2012, and forked over an additional $616 million for law enforcement agencies.

The money is raised from the auctioned goods as well as bulk cash that is seized as the proceeds of wrongdoing and divvied up under a program run by the Marshal Service.

"When you take away their assets and their money, it really hurts them more than putting them in jail," said Jason Wojdylo, who oversees asset forfeiture nationwide for the U.S. Marshal Service.

The auction will be held at Apple Towing Co., 2030 Holmes Road. The company's Web site, appletowing.com also list government-fueled auctions in other parts of the United States, such as California, Arizona, New Jersey and other states.

The vehicles, which are all considered to have either been purchased with money that was made illegally or used in the commission of crimes, have been checked for drugs and other contraband that may have been stashed in hidden compartments that were used in attempts to outsmart the Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration or other law enforcement agencies.

Additional items being auctioned include flat-screen televisions, furniture and other goodies.